20 living bass greats

1 Dave Holland

Fifty-one years since being discovered by Miles Davis, Holland’s global influence cutting across a swathe of post-bop styles remains immense. The beating heart of In a Silent Way. Pick out his work with Kenny Wheeler for later thrills. Still a force to be reckoned with especially on 2018’s UnchartedTerritories and the brand new Good Hope with Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter.

2 Esperanza Spalding Breakthrough bassist/vocalist Spalding has rewritten the rulebook in terms of what a 21st century bassist can do.

3 Marcus MillerFusing jazz, soul, and African music Miller’s sound whether heard as far back as Tutu with Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, or more recently on Laid Black is instantly recognisable.

4 John Patitucci With a solo reputation for leading his own bands and making his own records nonetheless it’s for his role in the Wayne Shorter quartet that has defined the technically accomplished US bassist’s career over many years now.

5 Reid AndersonAs a member of one of the leading small groups in contemporary jazz in The Bad Plus bassist Anderson has an eclectic approach influenced by jazz, rock and classical approaches that appeals to a new generation exploring jazz often for the first time.

6 Larry Grenadier Best known for his work with Brad Mehldau and the Fly trio Grenadier thrives on a riff, his impossibly woody sound cornering tricksy rhythms with consummate ease.

7 Arild AndersenPlaying Cork this autumn. Was part of the history making Triptykon.

8 Ron Carter Elegant and refined, the heir in some ways to Ray Brown, Carter was the bassist in the Miles Davis “second great quintet” fact enough to be included in this list. He is still leading bands to this day, and is a regular visitor to Ronnie Scott’s.

9 Stanley ClarkeHugely influential from Return to Forever and George Duke days and in demand as a movie composer.

10 Cecil McBee The Forest Flower bassist. Need I go on? OK, yep McBee is on the title track of Journey in Satchidananda too.

11 Richard Bona The Cameroonian with the jaw-dropping bass guitar technique and unique vocal style, jazz, African music and a sense of improvisational adventure all roll into one.

12 Reuben Rogers The Charles Lloyd and Joshua Redman bassist has some of the best chops in jazz as at ease with free-jazz as straightahead.

13 Gary PeacockAvant gardist by reputation and also the ultimate standards bassist for many years with Keith Jarrett.

14 Linda May Han OhAdventurous chamber-jazz stylist globally known through touring with Pat Metheny, already with a formidable track record of achievement on her own genre-busting records.

15 Dan BerglundHe reached a huge global fanbase with EST and now leads his own group Tonbruket. Look out for Rymden.

16 Thomas MorganBig toned US bassist known for his work with Tomasz Stańko, he’s a revelation with Jakob Bro.

17 Richard Davis As well known as an educator as for his appearance on some classic records Richard Davis’ big sound has decorated albums as influential in very different ways as Astral Weeks and Out to Lunch.

20 Henry GrimesAvant god. Ayler, Cecil Taylor, another time, another place. Lost now found.

Harvey Mason, Chameleon, Concord Records ***1/2

Trumpeter Christian Scott over in the summer to play the Sligo Jazz Festival, the Unity Group bassist Ben Williams, and José James keyboardist Kris Bowers, are among the great coming together of jazz talent here on Chameleon, with guitarist Matthew Stevens, trombonist/singer Corey King, West Coast Get Down saxophonist Kamasi Washington, vocalist Chris Turner and broken beat leading light keyboardist Mark de Clive-Lowe joining the much revered jazz-funk drummer Mason (Head Hunters, Sunburst, etc) more known these days for his work with smooth jazz supergroup Fourplay.

Taking his cue from his time recording on Herbie Hancock’s seminal jazz-funk album from 1973 Head Hunters when Mason joined the Herbster, Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson and Bill Summers for one of the most groundbreaking jazz albums of the 70s, Chameleon opens with a Bob James/Grover Washington Jr number ‘Black Frost’ one that Mason appeared on originally and a feature now for saxophonist Kamasi Washington.

Mason also appeared on Bobby Hutcherson’s Montara in the mid-1970s not long after Head Hunters and the title track of that album is also featured with Summers also joining. Mason’s own tunes ‘Looking Back’, ‘Either Way’ and ‘Mase’s Theme’ (the latter co-written with de Clive-Lowe) as well as ‘Chameleon’ (co-credited to Herbie, Paul Jackson, Mason and Bennie Maupin arranged in this version by Kneebody’s Ben Wendel) and bonus track ‘Looking Forward (Breaking Bad)’ are also among the album’s selections.

Recorded in LA at Mason’s producer son’s Mason Sound Studios there’s a constant journeying to and fro between jazz-funk and smooth jazz, the latter manifesting itself more on ‘If I Ever Lose This Heaven’ from Quincy Jones’ Body Heat here featuring Chris Turner. But Chameleon steers away from hitting whatever genre it lands on head on and getting stuck, managing somehow to embrace neighbouring sounds without making too many compromises.

Mason of course has great imagination and thrives on the input from Mark de Clive Lowe on ‘Looking Back’ one of the best tracks here where Mason is also reunited with Paul Jackson from Head Hunters. Williams teases out a very organic bass intro to a very laidback ballad featuring Christian Scott initially in a Donald Byrd-like space on Patrice Rushen song ‘Before the Dawn’ the trombone solo from King making the mood even more mellow.

With a little ‘Studio Life’ segment left in for authenticity purposes I suppose the version of Donald Byrd’s ‘Places and Spaces’ (again another record Mason was on back in the 1970s) is another firm highlight, Corey King’s Lonnie Liston Smith-like vocal and fabulous Rhodes support from Bowers definitely expand the horizons of the record. If it has a flaw it's that there’s just too much to absorb here, inventive soul and neosoul entering the picture via a reimagining of the 70s but sounding very much of the here and now.

The flute-like sound of Bowers’ keyboards on Mason’s tune ‘Either Way’ is an inventive touch against Mason's beat displacement while ‘Mase’s Theme’, a sophisticated duo between Mason and de Clive Lowe, moves into new territory edging closer to out-and-out funk a logical lead-in to ‘Chameleon’ with Jimmy Haslip playing bass rather than Jackson but Summers is here among the band, Kamai Washington’s sax keeping it mellow.

The infectious bonus hidden track (after four short silent tracks) with guest sax player Guillaume Perret, Jackson back, and also featuring a solo from John Beasley is the party piece at the end. So, all in all, a big reminder of the sheer talent, ideas and spirit of Mason connecting past achievement with current artistry. SG